What makes you interesting: In 2014, we sold our house and most of our belongings. Samantha quit her career in higher education to homeschool our younger children. Angus worked remotely, and we traveled–staying in new places every 30 days. We traded our mortgage for memories and found that life can be lived very differently! From that entire experience, we discovered travel blogging and have been doing it ever since.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from traveling: Life doesn’t have to be traditional in order to be enjoyed. Don’t be scared to ditch conformity a little and blaze your own trail with your family. People may scoff and not understand. Worse, they may think you’re being foolish. You have to listen to your heart and pursue the things that bring you peace.

If your personality was a city or country, which one would it be: Samantha would be Aruba–laid back, peaceful, and operates on her own time. Angus would be New Zealand–laid back, beautiful places to explore, and tucked away from the world’s drama.

What is your most favorite travel memory: Watching the sunset in an infinity pool while sailing the Mediterranean Sea on the Regent’s Seven Seas Explorer.

What is the best part about having a travel partner: Sharing memories and having someone there who is able to remind you of the highs, when you’re facing the lows. Our children are also our travel partners and the best thing about traveling with them is watching them learn about the world and interact with people of all cultures.

What has been the most useful thing you have brought on a trip: We bought carseat vests for our children during our year of travel that made life so much easier! We threw away the bulky car seats and opted for the Ridesafer carseat travel vests.

Current city: At the moment we are back in our hometown called Aarau, it is situated between Zurich and Bern, Switzerland.

Age: We both are 23 years old.

Total countries visited: As we both started to travel at a young age, we already discovered 40 countries.

What makes you interesting: As a young and active couple we are trying to inspire others to go out and see the world.

What brands do you love: We recently bought the new GH5 camera from Panasonic and we absolutely love it. It takes amazing pictures and even greater slow motion footage.

What does “Travel” mean to you: Traveling means to us that we get the opportunity to escape our normal eight-to-five life by get lost somewhere new.

What item will you never leave home without: Our gear bag with our GH5, Mavic Pro and our beloved Zhiyun Crane stabilizer.

Most magical place on earth: For us it is probably Byron Bay, New South Wales Australia. We do have a deep connection to this town because we spent our first weekend trip there as a couple.

#1 thing you must do when traveling: Since we are real foodies the first thing we usually do is trying the local foods.

Where and when were you the most culture shocked: When we visited the sacred tree temple in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. We learned so much about Buddhism and the Sri Lankan culture.

What is your most favorite travel memory: This was definitely on our road trip to the Ayers Rock. We were camping in the Australian Outback, just with our sleeping bags. We were actually so scared to fall asleep because of the wild animals that we spent the whole night counting shooting stars instead of sleeping. Although we did not get a lot of sleep, it turned into one of the most beautiful nights ever.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from traveling: You never know what people are going through from looking at their exterior so don’t assume. Cultures are different and people express themselves differently than your own culture. Be open and observant.

What are your travel rituals: I like making a list to get me excited. This list includes tech supplies I’ll be using on my trip and what outfits to wear. Also, getting carry on sized toiletries from Rite Aid. Lastly, getting to the airport super early and finding a lounge to relax in.

What is the longest period of time that you have been away from home: I have been away over five months a couple times. I stay abroad for minimum one month to really get the feel for the region and travel to many destinations around the region!

What do you put in your carry-on baggage: I put my iPhone, camera, computer, makeup bag, socks to get cozy in on the plane and external batteries for my phone. I’ve also been traveling with a green camo bag since 2012 and it goes everywhere with me.

What do you enjoy doing the most during your travels: I love interacting with locals, looking at historical sites & architecture, taking photos/vlogs, and trying local cuisine. I see food a huge cultural experience.

Next travel destination: My next travel destination will be Oahu, Hawaii, USA! I’m so excited my second visit since last time I was there was over 15 years ago!

What motivates you to travel: Being together! Seeing the world, learning, experiencing and growing as individuals and as a family. With each new place we become more aware and realize most people around the world – regardless of race, religion, or ethnicity – just want to be happy and have a successful family. It is very empowering and makes the world feel like a better place!

Describe your most unique or funniest travel experience: There are so many! I think that stumbling upon one of the naked parades in Spain when I was little was pretty unique and actually quite hysterical! I can’t remember the purpose but there were thousands of naked people riding bikes through the center of the city (I think it had to do with an environmental law that had just been passed ) and I kept thinking – wouldn’t that hurt, haha?

What’s one thing you have no problem breaking the bank for when traveling: Where we stay! We like to stay in nice places where everyone can have space. Oh, and good tours of course! While we have no problem prioritizing what we spend our money on, it’s also all about the budget! My awesome dad funds most of the trips so we try and stay in the budget so we don’t stress him out.

If you were given a free trip tomorrow, where would you go: I would go ANYWHERE! My bucketlist honestly changes by the day but right now I have Vietnam and Isreal at the top!

What have you learned about yourself during your travels: I have learned that I love people! I love seeing and experiencing how people live and getting to know people from around the world. I also have realized that there is something about being somewhere new with your loved ones and being able to get a break from everyday life and really focus on each other. It’s so refreshing and needed for my well-being.

What do you enjoy doing the most during your travels: I love art! The boys (my hubby included) love golf! My littlest brother loves any sort of animal encounter and my sweet baby is all about the treats! Traveling with 8 people, we get a great mix of different experiences and activities.

Next travel destination: We all will be traveling to Thailand soon as an entire group and we can’t wait!!

Many travelers explore new locations is search for the most beautiful beach, the latest food trend or the adrenaline rush of skydiving in an exotic location. What makes Charlotte and Josh interesting is they travel to help others. From working at Nongovernmental Organization on a tropical Island in Borneo, to teaching in the slums of Mumbai, to working in countless hostels, these Alturists don’t just explore the world, but create new ones along their way. This world they are creating started in 2015 when they decided the London life has taken its toll and it was time to “just go.” After months of planning and a name for their blog, Charlotte and Josh left London behind them and started their journey. What they discovered was so much more than what London could show them. From watching the sunrise at the Taj Mahal to volunteering in Borneo, travel continuously motivates them “to learn more about the world we live in and the amazing people that occupy it,” says the Spindrifters. It’s their willingness to learn and to help others along the way that has named Charlotte and John our Twippers of the Month for August.